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Originally posted by Cowperson@Feb 3 2005, 10:11 PM
By interfering, I presume you are implying the USA attempted to influence the outcome to generate a preferential result.
Is that what you are saying?
It seems to me the guys indiscriminately shooting their own citizens and issuing death threats did more to mobilize the vote than the Americans did, a big middle finger salute to these alleged "freedom" fighters courtesy of the overwhelming majority.
Cowperson
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Well, I guess that we each believe what we want to believe in this case. I think believing that the insurgents assisted in increasing voter turnout is wishful thinking, but obviously we differ there. I'd point again to my above quote from the Times concerning the 'successful' vote in South Vietnam. 83% voted, despite threats of violence from the Vietcong. I'm hearing the same rhetoric, but with the benefit of hindsight, and I don't like what I hear.
Quote:
By interfering, I presume you are implying the USA attempted to influence the outcome to generate a preferential result.
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I presume by this statement, that you believe that the United States has _zero_ effect on voting habits of Iraqis? I'm not sure how you can divorce an occupying army of 150,000 that literally controls the entire country from any sort of influence on the populace, especially considering the rhetoric the US spews about the insurgency.
I haven't suggested in this thread that the US is guilty of _any_ vote tampering. That's not 'influence', that's 'cheating'. I consider those to be different.